Van Hollen sees conclusions from NY-23, but not Va. and N.J.

There are more Election Day takeaways in New York's special election than from governors' races, House Democrats' campaign chief said Tuesday.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), downplayed the importance of gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, where GOP candidates could win back the executive branch from Democrats.

"The first thing I think we all understand is that one year is an eternity in politics," Van Hollen said during an appearance on ABC's "Top Line" webcast. "So we have to be careful to not over-interpret these results."

In Virginia, former Attorney General Bob McDonnell (R) is expected to claim victory, while former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie (R) has kept things close in New Jersey, where he's hoping to unseat incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine (D) in the traditionally Democratic state.

"In Virginia and NJ, these were races where there were all sorts of local factors that were the driving considerations," the DCCC chairman explained. "I would say people need to be very cautious about drawing conclusions about the outcomes of the elections."

But Van Hollen said there were plenty of takeaways from the race in New York's 23rd congressional district, where Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman's insurgent candidacy forced Republican Dede Scozzafava out of the race, leading Scozzafava to turn around and endorse Democrat Bill Owens.

"I do think it's fair to draw conclusions from the fight that's already happened in New York 23," Van Hollen said of the turn of events this past week in the upstate New York race.

The Maryland lawmaker, who also serves as assistant to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), also took strides to tamp down expectations for a Democratic victory tonight.

"You know very well the history of this congressional district," he said. "This is a very Republican area. It's not had Democratic representation for more than a century, and the fact of the matter is that we have a very competitive candidate."

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